By the Books: Dirtbags eying postseason

The Wilson Bruins have been inching their way up the baseball rankings and are within striking distance in Division 1.

They’re currently up to No. 5, up a spot from last week. Two wins this week and a loss by any of the four teams ranked above them (JSerra, Loyola, Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach) could move the Bruins into the coveted top four.

It was a disappointing week in Division 3 for Gahr. After sitting at No. 1 for almost the entire season, it slipped down to No. 7. Downey is knocking on the door at No. 5, and Warren moved up from No. 10 to No. 8.

Softball

The Lakewood Lancers also have been creeping up in the rankings, but at No. 6 this week in Division 2 they likely need too much help to reach a seeded position.

Boys tennis

Los Alamitos is having another strong season with an overall record of 14-4 and a Sunset League co-league title. The Griffins grabbed a seeded spot for this week’s Division 1 playoffs and enter in the No. 4 spot.

Dirtbags

The bracketology isn’t yet in on the Dirtbags, but they definitely have a shot at making the NCAA regionals.

Long Beach State, fresh off its first sweep of the season over Hawaii last weekend, is 26-23 overall. The 49ers aren’t ranked, and last week’s RPI report had them as a bubble team in the 50’s, but this week they are listed as “also receiving votes” in the NCAA poll.

Their biggest strength as they head toward a possible at-large berth is their strength of schedule. They have series wins over No. 6 Cal Poly SLO, No. 18 Indiana and a game today with No. 28 Nebraska. They also have a series win over perennial powerhouse Cal State Fullerton and defending national champion UCLA. Their record against ranked teams actually is slightly better than that against unranked opponents.

The Dirtbags close out the regular season out next week against UC Irvine, ranked No. 27 nationally.

About the Author

Mike Guardabascio is an award-winning sportswriter who's been covering the Long Beach sports world since 2008. A Long Beach native, he's a member of the CIF Southern Section Media Advisory Committee and the California Prep Sportswriters Association. A two-time winner of the Century Club's Keith Cordes Award for best promotion of the city through sports, he is also the author of a book, Football in Long Beach, available through the History Press. Reach the author at mguardabascio@scng.com
or follow Mike on Twitter: @Guardabascio.